Gray Thursday: Polk Shoppers Forgo Turkey To Cash In On Hot Deals

Thursday

Nov 22, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 23, 2012 at 12:00 AM

Lines, frenzy surround Lakeland's Walmart, Target and Toys R Us.

By CLIFFORD PARODYTHE LEDGER

LAKELAND | Fighting off the nap-inducing effects of turkey while Thanksgiving dinner was still digesting in their bellies, thousands of Polk County residents put family time aside Thursday night to shop the holiday sales at Walmart, Target and Toys R Us.

"It's a good thing because you can beat the crowds; some people are still eating dinner right now," said Wasah Idleburg, 32, of Lakeland as she headed into Walmart.

Last year, Wal-Mart Inc. broke the Black Friday mold when the company started their sales on Thanksgiving night. This year, Wal-Mart Inc. was at it again. Certain items went on sale at 8 p.m. Thursday and other items at 10 p.m., before today's the post-Thanksgiving Black Friday deals.

"We've listened to our customers and we know what they want," Wal-Mart Inc. spokeswoman Debbie Washon said. "We're giving them three events this year so they can come out and shop when it's convenient for them."

National Retail Federation President Matthew Shay said, "It's critical for retail companies to constantly evolve as consumers do, and right now shoppers want great deals, good value, and convenience — exactly what we're seeing with this season's late and early openings."

Hundreds of people were flooding into the Walmart at 3501 S. Florida Ave. in Lakeland early Thursday evening.

Thomas Hill from Auburndale came to Walmart in search of a trampoline for his niece and nephew.

"It's a madhouse in there," Thomas said. "There's lines of people everywhere and people gathering around all the sale stuff. It's kind of fun to just sit back and watch them all."

Twenty-eight-year-old Tiffany Watts of Lakeland, who has been shopping Black Friday events for the past five years, said she doesn't like that stores are opening earlier this year.

"You have to cut family time short just so you can come and get in line," Watts said.

Target stores also jumped on the Thanksgiving Day sale bandwagon and opened at 9 p.m. Thursday. The early opening came with a backlash from Target employees, shareholders and customers with an online petition on the website change.org garnering more than 350,000 signatures of those who oppose the decision.

"Frankly, Target, the idea is bland, uninspired, and, due to its holiday crushing nature, a tad evil," Jason Mormolestein, a petitioner from Illinois wrote on the site. "Go back to an early Friday morning opening and let your workers eat turkey while squabbling with loved ones they haven't been able to see all year!"

Despite the backlash, Target held firm. And, at the Target store on 3570 Harden Blvd., Lakeland, a line of customers wrapped around the building Thursday evening, waiting outside for the chance to get the best holiday deals.

Sisters Dana Dammel and Theresa McCawley, who have a decade's worth of Black Friday shopping experience under their belts, said they planned to go strong all evening, jumping from sale to sale.

"I'm good with Gray Thursday," Dammel, a Winter Haven teacher, said. "What else do we have to do on a Thursday night?"

"Our whole family is in on it," McCawley added. "We check the fliers over and over, and then it's divide and conquer from there. We have family over at Walmart right now!"

Derek Thompson, 22, was the second person in line at the Harden Boulevard Target.

He got there at 10 a.m., 11 hours before the store opened, to save a spot for his girlfriend, who had her heart set on a 50-inch 1080p Westinghouse LCD television that was on sale for $349.